Today the Commission voted unanimously to reject an update to the voluntary safety standard for Children’s Folding Chairs and Folding Stools. Under section 104 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, once the Commission has adopted a voluntary standard for durable infant or toddler products as a mandatory standard, we review each update to the voluntary standard that the voluntary standards organization submits to the Commission. If that update does not improve safety, the Commission can reject it and leave the mandatory standard as it is.
This particular update came to us with two separate substantive changes, one of which would improve safety and one that would decrease safety. Taken as a whole, I could not conclude that the updated voluntary standard would improve safety, and so we voted to reject the voluntary standard and retain the mandatory safety standard that was previously approved.
That being said, there was an improvement to safety included in this update – a requirement and test to prevent children’s heads from becoming trapped in cords, straps, or other components that create hazardous openings. I hope and expect that the ASTM committee will move quickly to send us a new update to the voluntary standard that includes this substantive change that would improve safety without the problematic language. I encourage this and will act promptly to adopt such a revision in the Commission’s mandatory safety rules when it comes back to the Commission. If for some reason action is delayed, the Commission can and should take other regulatory action to amend the rule.